Cable puller



Nov. 19, 1940. J. H. ABRAMSON ETAL' 2,221,903

I I CABLE FULLER I Filed July 51, 1937 '2 Sheets-Sheet 1 W ul- Nov. 19;1940. I I J. H. ABRAMSON 'ETAL 2 L CABLE FULLER Y Filed July 31, 1957 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Nov. 19, 1940 UNITED STATES UABLE PULL-ER JohnH. Abramson and Edwin C. Swanson, Rockford, Ill., assignors to GreenleeBros. & 00., Rockford, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application July31, 1937, Serial No. 156,679

11 Claims.

This invention relates to pulling devices of the type adaptedparticularly for drawing cables,- electrical wiring, and the likethrough conduits of buildings, and for analogous uses. I I

An object of the invention is to provide a portable, light weight devicefor pulling cables, wires and thelike, which is quickly and easilybrought into operative position and which is readily adaptable to themany difierent positions and I conditions under which cables and wiresmust be pulled in modern construction operations.

A- further object of the invention is the provision of a puller adaptedto pull directly against the conduit so that the counter-force of thepulling operations is applied to the conduit through which the cable ispulled.

Another object is the provision of a puller adapted to draw an excess ofcable or wire through the conduit for use in making connections indistributor boxes and the like, or to be drawn through additionalstretches of conduit for step by step pulling of long cables.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a "generallyimproved cable puller wherein only a relatively small proportion of thepulling line is carried on the reel whereby to maintain the weight ofthe reel ata minimum.

We have also aimed to provide a device of the character described havingimproved and quick detachable means for attaching the device to aconduit or pipe together with other features facilitating the pulling ofcables under adverse circumstances.

Other objects and attendant advantages will be apparent to those skilledin the art from the following description and the accompanying drawings,in which I Figure 1 is a top view of the cable puller showing the sameattached to a conduit and terminal box;

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 22 of Figure 1;

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 33 of Figure 1;

Fig.4 is an elevation showing the cable puller in operative positionwith respect to a conduit and terminal box;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view showing the manner of attachment of thepuller where there is insufiicient exposed conduit for attachment of thepuller thereto, and

Fig. 6 is an elevation showing a still further manner in which thepuller may be employed.

Figures 1 to 4, inclusive, show the most common manner in which thepulling device is employed where the puller is attached to thepreviously installed conduit of a building andemployed for the purposeof pulling electrical wiring and the like through the conduits. Theadaptability of the puller to the various conditions and situationswhich may arise in the wiring of a building is impart illustrated inFigs. 5 5 and 6. The device consists in general of a puller framedesignatedby the numeral I, a reel support designated by the numeral8,:and a reel designated by the numeral 9.

The pullerframe 1 includes a bracket portion 10 designated generally bythe numeral II and a rail portion designated generally by the numerall2.- The bracket portion has a V-shaped groove l3 at one end andoppositely projecting flanges l4 and I5 adjacent thereto adapted tosupport 15 chains designated generally by the numerals l6 and H for thepurpose of supporting the frame on a conduit I8. It will be understoodthat the conduit l8 may be any'of a wide variety of conduits and pipescommonly employed for the pur- 2Q pose of carrying wires and cables suchas those used in electrical wiring operations, telephone work, and innumerous analogous arts. The chains l6 and I! have outwardly projectinglink pins I9 adapted to abut against the flange I5 25 when the chain isseated in slots 2| in the flange Hi. The flange I4 is likewise providedwith slots 22 for the reception of bolts 23 attached to the ends of thechains I6 and 11, the bolts having nuts 24 adapted to abut against theflange I4. 30

. In operation, the nuts 24 are screwed to the outer end of the bolts23, the bolts inserted in the slots 22, and the chain pulled tightagainst the conduit l8 and the appropriate pin Ill-caused to abutagainst the flange l5. Thereupon, the nuts 24 35 are tightened until thebracket II is firmly attached to the conduit. The opposite end ofthebracket II has a portion 25 of reduced crosssection providing shoulders26, rails in'the form of channel members 2'! and 28 being seated on theportion 25 and attached by means of bolts 29, the sides of the railsabutting the shoulders 26, as best shown in Fig. 3; The rails 21 and 28project from the bracket II at right angles, as best shown in Figure 1,and serve for the attach- 45 ment ofthe reel support 8 at any of aplurality of spaced-intervals beyond the end of the conduitl8. I I

The reel support has a centrally disposed portion-3| adapted to bereceived between the rails 50 21 and 28, as best shown in Fig. 2, andhas spaced shoulders 32 adapted to abut against op posite sidesof theraili The reel support also has a pair of spaced arms 33 and 34projecting outwardly in parallel relation with the bracket II andsupporting therebetween a pulley 35 on a pin 36 extending between thearms, the pulley being adapted to rotate freely under the influence of acable, as will presently be described. The pulley is supported so thatthe edge thereof remote from the rails will lie in the region of anextension on the axis of the conduit l8, as best shown in Fig. 2, sothat the cable trained therein and passing through the conduit will befree of the walls of the conduit when drawn taut. The reel support isfixedly attached to the rails by means of a bolt and nut 31 adapted tobe positioned in any of a plurality of holes 38 in the rails 21 and 28to space the reel support and reel at different distances from thebracket On the oppositie side of the rails from the arms 33 and 34, thereel support has a cylindrical boss 39 adapted to be received in a reelcasing 4|.

The reel 9 includes the casing 4|, which has a split collar portion 42adapted to receive the boss 39 of the reel support to support the reelon the reel support so that the reel may be rotated thereon to anyradial position. A bolt or cap screw 43 serves to tighten the collar onthe boss so as to retain the reel in any desired rotative position. Thecasing 4| has a shaft 44 centrally located therein upon which issupported a drum designated generally by the numeral 45 through a hub45, the drum being retained thereon through a nut 41 threaded onto theend of the shaft. The drum 45 has integrally therewith a ring gear 48substantially enclosed within an overhanging rim 49 of the casing 48,the ring gear being engaged by a pinion 5| attached to a shaft 52journaled in the casing 4|, the shaft 52 projecting beyond the casing,as shown at 53, and through a boss 54. A racheted handle is carried onthe projecting end of the the shaft 53 which includes a spring pressedrachet member 55 having rachet teeth 56 adapted to engage ratchet teeth51 on a ratchet member 58. The ratchet member 53 is journaled on theshaft 52 and has a handle 59 seated in a slot 6|, the ratchet member 58and handle 59 being secured to the shaft 52 by a screw 62. The handle 59may have a plurality of screw holes for the reception of the screw 52 soas to vary the effective length of the handle. The ratchet member has akey 63 which prevents rotative movement of the ratchet member withrespect to the shaft, but permits of longitudinal movement thereof. Aspring 64 urges the ratchet member 55 into engagement with the member 58so that the handle 59 may be used in a ratchet fashion to index theshaft 52 and consequently rotate the ring gear 49 and drum 45. A detent65 operates against the ring gear 48 as best shown in Fig. 2 to preventmovement of the ring gear and the drum in a counterclockwise directionfacing Fig. 2, the detent being urged into engagement with the gear by aspring 66. The drum 45 has a sloping innerportion 61 and an annularshoulder 68 such that a cable 69 may be given three or four turns aboutthe drum so as to rest on the sloping portion 61, with the pull beingexercised on the inside loop of the drum as shown in Figure 1, the freeor loose end 7] of the line being adjacent the shoulder 69. In this 'waythe pulling force urges the respective loops outward and downward alongthe portion 61 so as to bind the respective loops and prevent slippage,and yet permit of movement of the line around the drum and out at theshoulder side of the drum. This arrangement permits of the use of alarge amount or length of line without winding all of the line on thedrum, thus maintaining the size of the drum I and the weight of the reelat a minimum.

In connection with the preceding discussion, we have described thepuller as being connected directly onto the conduit of a building orstructure. However, as will be understood by those skilled in the art,it is frequently found that insufficient conduit extends from the wall,floor, or other parts of the building structure to permit of attachmentof the frame thereto; for example, as shown in Fig. 5, wherein theterminal box designated generally by the numeral 12 is positioned inclose proximity to a wall 13. The structure of our device is such as toadapt itself readily to such conditions through the use of relativelysimple expedients. Under these circumstances a short piece of conduit 14of the next succeeding smaller size from the conduit I8 is inserted intothe end of the conduit I8 and the bracket attached thereto as shown inFig. 5, so that one side of the bracket abuts against the end of theconduit l8 whereby the force of the pulling operations is exertedagainst the end of the conduit IS in substantially the same manner as inFigure 1.

The adaptability of the device is further shown in Fig. 6, wherein theconduit |8 enters the terminal box 12 in such proximity to a side wall15 of the terminal box or in close proximity to some other analogousobstacle. Under such circumstances the reel is detached from the reelsupport and a fitting 16 having a boss H is inserted within the splitcollar 42 of the reel. The fitting has an internally threaded portion 18adapted to receive the conventional conduit reducer 19 into which ashort length of conduit 8| may be threaded directly, or additionalreducers 82 may be used depending upon the size of the conduit I8. Theshort piece of conduit 8| serves as a pilot to guide the reel withrespect to the conduit l8 during the pulling operations.

In operating the device, the pulling line 69 is drawn through theconduit from box to box or through the stretch of conduit through whichthe cables or wires are pulled. One end of the pulling line 69 is thenattached either to the end of the cable or to a point intermediate theends of the cable in the manner heretofore known in the art. The pulleris then attached to the conduit in the manner heretofore described, andthe residue of the cable is trained over the pulley 35, threaded throughan opening 83 in the reel support 8, and given three or four turnsaround the drum 45, the remainder of the puller line represented by thenumeral 1| remaining coiled on the floor. Thereupon the handle 59 isoperated to rotate the gear 48 and drum 45 in a clockwise directionfacing Fig. 2, drawing the pulling line through the conduit and aroundthe pulley 35, as indicated by the arrows, the line reeling off the drumas shown at H as the pulling operations proceed. This causes the cableor wire to be drawn through the conduit and the end brought out into theterminal box 12. If the pulling line is attached to the cable at a pointintermediate the ends of the cable, a considerable excess of cable canbe drawn out of the conduit either for attachment within the terminalbox or to be re-pulled through additional sections of conduit.

Attention is directed to the manner in which the pulling force isapplied. It will be seen that the device contemplates that thecounterforce produced in pulling the cable through the conduit beapplied directly to the conduit itself. In the past the most commonmeans for pulling cable has been through a pulling mechanism at! tachedto the floor or.walls of the: building frequently utilizing a truck toprovide the necessary power. The result was that very. frequently theconduit system was pulled from the walls or other structure because thetendency was to'pull the conduit with the cable so that the pullingforce was transmitted from the cable to the conduit tending to tear thewall structure from its .support. In the present instance thecounterforce is applied directly back to the conduit which is offeringthe resistance to the movement of the cable, and there is consequentlyno tendency to disturb the supports for the conduit. A matter ofconsiderable importance in the present invention is the capacity of thedevice to accommodate itself to the varying conditions under which thedifferent pulling operations must be performed andthe close proximity ofthe pulling device to the point at which the pressure must be applied.In other words, the puller is located in close proximity to the end ofthe conduit and is thus cap-able of operating within very limited space.Furthermore, the device is so constructed as to be'capable of operationin spite of the close quarters and adjacent obstacles which wouldnormally interfere with the work. Thus, means are provided for varyingthe spacing of the reelsupport 8 and the bracket l l Likewise, the reelis supported on the reel support in such manner that it may be turned inany radial position for actuation of the handle. In addition, the handleis arranged with ratchet means such that it need only be turned througha portion of a complete revolution to accomplish the pulling operation.Furthermore,

this ratchet mechanism eliminates the necessity on a hard pull for theoperator to turn the handle completely around through positions in whichthe arm of the operator cannot exert its maximum force, but instead,permits of operating the bandle through a limited arc at which themaximum force may be applied thereto. Furthermore, the detent preventsreturn movement of the drum and loss of tension on the pulling line uponrelease of the handle or upon change in direction of its rotation as inratcheting.

The device is likewise arranged so that the reel proper may be usedalone as shown in Fig. 6 where the pull is direct and may be used withthe reel support 8 where the pull may best proceed around a right angle.This construction permits of pulling the cable along the axis of theconduit so that the insulation is not scraped by the passage of thecable over the edge of the conduit at an angle with respect to theoutlet from the conduit. Likewise, the pulling line 69 does not rub overthe edge of the conduit during the pulling operations, and as a result,a minimum of force is required to pull the cable.

Attention is also directed to the means for supporting the puller on theconduit, which permits of rigid attachment of the puller to any of aplurality of conduit sizes with the minimum of effort and time.

Another advantage of the invention is that the device is light in weightand may be operated by a single man and yet produce sufficient power toaccomplish the most dimcult pulling opera tions.

While we have thus described and illustrated the specific embodiment ofthe invention, we are aware that the principles herein disclosed may beembodied in numerous specific forms within the spirit of the invention,but we do not wish to be limited except as required by the scope of theappended claims, in which we claim:

1. The combination in a cable puller of a frame having means forsupporting the same on the exterior of a conduit adjacent. the endthereof, means on the frame for supporting a pulley in spaced relationto the end of the conduit adjacent the longitudinal axis thereof, awinding drum, means for rotatably supporting the Winding drum on theframe on an axis parallel to the axis of the conduit and spacedtherefrom, a pulling line adapted to be stretched through said conduittrained over said pulley and wound on said drum, and means for rotatingsaid drum to wind said line thereover and draw a cable attached to theline through said conduit.

'2. The combination in a cable puller of a frame having means forsupporting the same on a conduit adjacent the end thereof and a portionextending beyond the end of the conduit, a rotatable winding drumcarried on said portion, a puller line adapted to be positioned in saidconduit and turned on said drum, means for rotating the drum to wind thepulling line thereover to pull a cable through the conduit, and means onsaid frame portion beyond the end of the conduit for guiding the pullingline to maintain the line emerging from the conduit free of the conduit.

3. The combination in a. cable puller of a frame having means forsupporting the same on a conduit adjacent the end thereof, and a railportion extending beyond the end of and in approximate parallel relationto the conduit, a reel support adapted to be positioned at any of aplurality of spaced intervals along said rail portion, said supporthaving a pulley beyond the end of the conduit for guiding a pulling linetherein, a pulling line for drawing a cable through said conduit trainedover said pulley, and a reel on saidreel support including a drumadapted to receive a plurality of turns of said line, and means forrotating said drum to draw the line through the conduit, said reel andreel support having interfitting means for predetermining the positionof the reel thereon.

4. The combination in a cable puller of a frame having means forsupporting the same on a conduit adjacent the end thereof, and a railportion extending beyond the end of and in approximate parallel relationto the conduit, a reel support adapted to be positioned at any of aplurality of spaced intervals along said rail portion, said supporthaving a pulley beyond the end of the conduit for guiding a pulling linetherein, a pulling line for drawing a cable through said conduit trainedover said pulley, and a reel on said reel support including a drumadapted to receive a plurality of turns of said line, means for rotatingsaid drum to draw the line through the conduit,

said reel and reel support having interfitting means for predeterminingthe position of the reel thereon.

5. The combination in a cable puller of a puller frame comprising aclamping portion for attachment to a conduit through which cable is tobe pulled, and a rail portion, a reel support carried on said railportion for movement between a plurality of positions, said reel supporthaving a pulley adjacent the center line of the conduit, and a reelcarried on said reel support and rotatable thereon about an axistransverse to the rail portion, said reel comprising a rotatable drum, apulling line passed intermediate its ends around said drum and havingone end adapted for attachment to a cable in said conduit, meansforrotating said drum in one direction to draw the pulling line and wirethrough the conduit, and means for preventing return movement of saiddrum.

6. The combination in a cable puller of a frame having means forsupporting the same on a conduit adjacent the end thereof, and a railportion extending beyond the end of the conduit, a reel supportincluding a sleeve, adapted to be positioned at any of a plurality ofspaced intervals along said rail portion, said support having a pulleybeyond the end of the conduit for guiding a pulling line therein, apulling line for drawing a cable through said conduit trained over saidpulley, and a winding drum tangentially disposed with respect to theaxis of said sleeve for rotation of the reel on said reel support aboutan axis defined by said line, and means for rotating the drum to drawthe line and cable through said conduit.

7. The combination in a portable puller for electric cable, of a framecomprising a metal plate, a sleeve laterally offset from the plane ofsaid plate and a peripheral flange integral with the plate, a drumsecured to one side of said plate and seated partly within said flange,a pulling cable having several turns on said drum intermediate the endsof the cable, a gear secured to said drum on the side thereof adjacentsaid plate, said gear being enclosed by said flange, and a crank-drivenspur gear carried on said plate for engagement with the gear on saiddrum for manual rotation of the drum, the drum projecting beyond saidflange for manipulation of the cable and removal thereof from the drum.

8. The combination recited in claim 7 including a handle for rotatingsaid spur gear, and ratchet means interposed between the handle and thegear.

9. The combination in a portable puller for electric cable of a frame,quick releasable means for clamping the same on a conduit adjacent theend thereof to support the same beyond the end of the conduit, arotatable winding drum carried on said frame, a puller line adapted tobe positioned in said conduit and turned on said drum. means forrotating the drum to wind the pulling line thereover'to pull the cablethrough the conduit and means on said frame for guiding the pulling lineinto registration with the opening of said conduit to maintain the lineemerging therefrom free from the end of the conduit.

10. The combination in a portable puller for electric cable of a frameincluding a clamp for rigidly attaching the same to a conduit adjacentthe end thereof and spaced rails extending beyond the end of theconduit, a reel support shaped to be secured between the rails in afixed position at any of a plurality of spaced points therein, saidsupport having shape characteristics cooperable with said rails toprevent rotation with respect thereto, an arm projecting to a pointadjacent the axis of said conduit and a reel supporting sleeve, a pulleycarried on said arm at the end thereof for guiding a pulling line withrespect to said conduit, a pulling line for drawing a cable through saidconduit trained over said pulley, and a reel having a collar forreception of said sleeve to support the reel on said support, said reelincluding a drum adapted to receive said line, and means for rotatingsaid drum to draw the line through the conduit.

11. The combination in a cable puller of a frame having means forsupporting the same on the exterior of a conduit adjacent the endthereof, means on the frame for supporting a pulley in spaced relationto the end of the conduit adjacent the longitudinal axis thereof, awinding drum, means for rotatably supporting the winding drum on theframe spaced from the axis of the conduit, a pulling line adapted to bestretched through said conduit trained over said pulley and wound onsaid drum, and means for rotating said drum to wind said line thereoverand draw a cable attached to the line through said conduit.

JOHN H. ABRAMSON. 'EDWIN C. SWANSON.

